After the design work is done, development begins. This is the process of turning a website design layout into a functioning website that users can interact with. Check out these resources to find out ways that you can improve web development efficiency, as well as add functionality and keep costs to a minimum.

If you're not sure what a particular web development term means or are interested in learning more on a certain topic, check out The ABC's of Web Development - it gives a fairly good overview of useful information on 26 of the most popular terms in the world of web development.

Professional Services | HTML/CSS | Flash/Actionscript | Programming | Miscellaneous

Professional Web Development Services

• Web Development Services from DonSchaefer.com - Whether you're looking to have a site designed and built from scratch or you already have a design laid out and you simply need someone to do the necessary HTML and CSS work to turn it into a working website, I can help. Please check out my available web development services and feel free to contact me if I can be of any assistance.
• Apps Communications - A one-stop-shop for any and all web development needs. Whether you need a powerful e-commerce system to sell merchandise online, a content management system (known as a CMS) so that you can log into an admin area and make changes to your site as easily as editing a document in Microsoft Word, or database-driven functionality that will allow your site to store and display different data depending on user interaction, Apps Communications can help. While their services will be more expensive than if you purchase a template website or hire someone independently, they are still very competitively priced and you'll be able to have your site developed exactly to your specifications as well as the peace of mind that comes with knowing that the job is in professional hands and that you can call them any time Monday through Friday from 9-5 with questions/concerns/updates.
• Wordpress.com - a free way to quickly and easily launch a somewhat-customizable decent-looking blog website. While it provides a great way to get a fast, easily-editable web-presence at no cost and can integrate with several social networking sites, there are a very limited number of available templates and most of the customizations that are possible (such as using your own domain name) require a-la-carte recurring payments.
• Website Templates - If you're looking to get a website up and running for the cheapest price possible this is the route to go. While some services will walk you through the process of adding content, others will require you to download all the files, navigate the html and add it yourself. Some templates are free, but even the ones you pay for will only cost pennies on the dollar compared to what you'll end up spending if you have one built by a company or someone working independently. The downside however is that the end result (both in terms of appearance and functionality) will not be tailored to your needs and depending on the template, you may be up a creek if you need to make a change to it at a later point.

HTML / CSS Resources

• NetTuts+ - Free access to tutorials on web development and user interface creation, as well as industry news and some great ideas to incorporate into your next project. Those who are interested can also read interviews with industry professionals for additional insight. Premium memberships are also available for a fee.
• W3 Schools - This site has a wealth of information about HTML, CSS, Javascript, ASP.NET, and many other languages. It also includes "try-it-yourself" demos that allow you to see how your code will look on a live server via a split-screen display. An invaluable MUST-SEE resource for all web developers!
• NotePad++ - If you're like me, then you've probably gotten sick of how programs like Frontpage & Dreamweaver insert code of their own into your projects. Unfortunately, for most designers, avoiding this hassle would mean reverting back to good old "Notepad" with no color-coding or other conveniences & would make code-editing a strain on the eyes. Enter Notepad++. Think of it as "Notepad" on steroids. This program has a range of built in features, including a library of around 40 different coding languages that you can use to color-code your code. It also allows you to expand/contract blocks of code for easier editing and lets you launch some files directly to browsers for testing while you're working. Best of all, it's free!
• FileZilla FTP Client - Free software that allows you to download and upload files to a web server.
• Firebug Add-on for Firefox - While most of the newer browsers have some form of tool built in for website developers to test and debug their code, the Firebug add-on for Mozilla Firefox remains one of the most fully-featured. With Firebug, you can debug and edit the HTML, CSS and Javascript of any page and see how your changes affect the page as you're making them. A priceless tool for developers.
• Adobe Browser Lab - Have you ever wondered what your site shows up like on someone else's computer? Enter Adobe Browser Lab. This service will show you how your site renders in all of the major browsers for Windows and Mac. Additionally, the screenshots that are rendered can be viewed side-by-side or layered over each other so that you can easily detect discrepancies. While differences that arise from the use of individual browser plugins, toolbars, or settings will not be accounted for, this is still an extremely useful service for the testing and debugging part of the web development process.
• PageLime - If you'd like the capacity to easily update your site without touching code or FTP programs, you need a "Content Management System". Fortunately, the folks over at PageLime have created an extremely user-friendly one that can be set up in minutes & even used from an iPhone. The best part... they have a free version (as long as you don't mind looking at their branding)! Whether you're looking for an easier way to make quick updates to your own site or you're interested in offering a CMS tool to your clients, PageLime is worth checking out.
• W3 Website Validator - Ever wondered why your site shows up fine in one browser, but looks messed up in another? Odds are that you're not validating your code. Although it's true that some browser display differences are unavoidable, checking to make sure your code validates is the best way to eliminate 99% of those problems. This site provides a great way to do just that.
• HTML5 Boilerplate - A collection of files that basically serve the purpose of providing a javascript-based foundation that will allow older browsers to display the HTML5 content of your site. For those looking for a little extra direction as to how they can use this to it's fullest potential, check out the HTML5 Boilerplate video tutorial.
• How to Build a CSS Drop-Down Menu - This tutorial by Jeffery Way explains how to create your own fully-customizable css-based drop-down menu. No Javascript or Flash necessary!
• Google Web Fonts - Sick of using the standard Arial, Times New Roman, Verdana, etc. fonts on your websites where html text is required? Check out this font-library from Google which provides all the code you need to embed a healthy range of fonts at no charge! If, however, you need a wider font selection and are willing to pay for it, check out Fonts.com or TypeKit.
• Transparent PNG files in Internet Explorer 6 - Many of us would like IE6 to disappear, but unfortunately a number of people are still using it & thus, such workarounds are still necessary.
• CSS Min-Height Solution - Wondering why divs can't act more like tables when it comes to their height property? Look no further :)
• Cross-Browser CSS Drop Shadow - An easy-to-implement method of getting css drop-shadows to work in all browsers in most situations.
• CSS Fixed Footer - Interested in learning how to fix the position of your website footer or other content that you'd like to stay at the bottom of your site without interfering with your content? Check out this quick example outlining how it's done.

Actionscript Resources

• Adobe Support - If you're involved in any of the various fields of computer art, the name "Adobe" probably rings a bell. Whether it be a question related to Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, Premiere, After Effects, etc., often our first instinct is usually to do Google searches and/or look through forums for an answer, but don't under-estimate Adobe's own support! The "Help" menu, which is generally useless in most programs actually has a wealth of information in Adobe's applications & their website expands on that knowledgebase even further.
• Kirupa.com - Friendly, Helpful, Knowledgeable people. I primarily use this site as a starting point when teaching myself how to do new things in Flash, but it covers a range of other programs as well. Although it doesn't have quite the depth of knowledge that some other sites have, the information is usually presented in a way that's VERY easy to understand & pick up. Contributors often write several-page tutorials complete with images, animations, and source-files.
• gotoAndLearn.com - A collection of video tutorials that explain how to do a wide range of things in Adobe Flash
• Calypso88 - A Blog of "actionscript trials & tribulations" from a knowledgeable developer.
• How to Create a Custom FLV Player - tired of using the stock FLV-players included in Flash? Check out this tutorial for step-by-step instructions on how to create your own!
• AS3 Dynamic Instance Names - Frustrated with the fact that you can't reference your dynamic as3 objects by their respective instance names? This post provides a great solution!
• Learning Actionscript 3.0 - A Beginner's Guide - Once you start to become advanced in any area of knowledge, you begin to build a base of resources that you can fall back on for more detailed knowledge. However, when you're starting something fresh and don't have a clue what you're doing, it's nice to know that there are books out there that take the time to teach you the problem-solving skills you need and give you a solid foundation for doing serious projects of your own (rather than overly-simplified examples that have no real-world applications). Although I've bought and read many books, this one did an exceptional job at accomplishing that goal AND managed not to put me to sleep in the process.

Programming Resources

• Visual Studio Express - Want to learn programming, but don't have the money to invest in the necessary software & equipment? This set of downloads is a great starting point.
• Build Your Own ASP.NET 3.5 Website - A great book for someone looking to learn about ASP.NET programming from the ground up. It's a thick read, but does a good job at walking you through the basics of object-oriented programming (in both C# and ASP) and eventually guiding you into a knowledge of how to create projects that have real-world applications.

Miscellaneous Development Resources

• Koyote Free Video Converter - With the rise of mobile and tablet devices that don't render Flash animations (such as the iPhone and iPad), a lot of companies are wisely looking to HTML5 and Javascript for video solutions. Familiar video formats like .mov, .avi, .flv, and .wmv won't work in HTML5 video implementations and the browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.) haven't reached a universal concensus as to which video format (.mp4 or .ogg) will be THE format of choice for the new HTML5 specification. In the meantime, developers wanting to make use of HTML5 video need to provide videos in BOTH formats if they want their videos to be viewable across all browsers (as well as in .flv format for older versions of IE that aren't capable of rendering HTML5 video). While it's easy enough to find video converters for .mp4 video, it's quite a bit harder to find ones that will convert a video to .ogg format. Koyote's video converter not only converts videos to a range of different formats (including .mp4 & .ogg), it also offers a nice selection of customizations to tweak the conversions according to your needs.
• FeedWind - A free customizable widget that can display RSS feeds on any website (useful for displaying industry news or social media feeds). While it does have a few limitations, it's definitely the most fully-featured offering I've come across that doesn't have a pricetag associated with it.
• Add Driving Directions to Your Site - This site provides a relatively easy way for developers to integrate the ability to provide driving directions (using multiple languages) into any site.
• Get Latitude & Longitude from Google Maps - After searching for an address, simply enter this:
  javascript:void(prompt('',gApplication.getMap().getCenter()));
  into the URL bar of your browser & hit "enter" for easy-to-copy exact coordinates. Alternatively, you can also click on the green flask icon in the upper right and enable the "LatLng Marker" option available from Google Maps Labs to get the approximate values of the current mouse target.
• LightWindow - Ever seen those cool galleries where when you click on a picture, the screen goes black and the image pops in over top of the actual site (but not as a pop-up)? Well, this site by Kevin Miller gives you all the javascript you need to create that effect for images, movies, pdfs, iframes, html files, and a slew of other web-based media.
• Dynamic Drive DHTML - Javascript code generation site
• Javascript Source - Javascript code generation site